Indians Prospect Insider

While I am no longer in Arizona, here is a special notebook edition talking about some of the recent developments in big league and minor league camp for the Indians.
Talbot Wins Rotation Spot
It comes as no surprise that right-hander Mitch Talbot has officially won a spot in the opening day rotation. Going into spring training he was a heavy favorite to win one of the two open rotation...

Here are the box scores from Friday's seven inning inter-squad games. Some quick thoughts:
- 2B Brian Bixler (pictured) went 2-for-4 with 2 2B at the plate, and looks to be the odds on favorite to be the utility guy in Columbus. He may even end up the starter at 2B and push Josh Rodriguez into more of a utility role.
- OF John Drennen went 2-for-3 with 2 2B and an RBI. He looks good...

The year is 1988.
The Soviet Union begins perestroika...it leaves much to be desired. US Army Lt. Col William R. Higgins is kidnapped and killed in Lebanon. The Soviet Union commits to withdraw combat troops from Afghanistan. Enzo Ferrari dies at the age of 90. Kirk Gibson hits his game-winning HR on one leg to clinch the 1st game of the World Series for the Dodgers. George H. W. Bush is...

Here are the box scores from Thursday's games with the Chicago White Sox and their minor league affiliates. Here are some quick observations when looking through the box scores:
- It was a case of good and bad for 3B Wes Hodges yesterday. Seeing 3 walks is very nice to see, but seeing 2 errors is not.
- OF/1B Stephen Head went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for Columbus. It looks like he will...

Here is an updated depth chart with what looks like the roster setup at the moment from Cleveland to Low-A Lake County. There is still a lot of grey area with the rosters, so it will be interesting to see just what the final rosters turn out to be in two weeks.
I will continue to tweak and update this listing from now until the end of spring, of which a new depth chart will be posted with...

After our one week hiatus, Paul Cousineau and I are back on the air tonight with another edition of "Smoke Signals" from 9:30-10:30 PM EST. Since we were last on a lot has happened in big league camp for the Indians this spring, and we will touch on everything that has occurred. We will discuss the Kerry Wood injury, Russell Branyan's back issues and what it means at first base and left field, Fausto...

Here are the inter-squad results from Wednesday's action as well as a pickup game between "Mahoning Valley" and the Reds to get work for more pitchers and hitters ar various levels of the organization. Here are some quick notes on things noticed from the box scores:
- With the Indians off on Wednesday, RHP Justin Masterson came down and pitched in the Columbus-Akron game to get his regular...

Here are the box scores from the games with the Dodgers affiliates on Tuesday March 23rd. Some quick notes on the games by just perusing the box scores:
- Starting pitchers are beginning to go 4-5 innings an outing and position players are also starting to play full games. With that in mind, in the next day or so you could start to see some releases as the extra players will no longer be...

Over the past two months on this site we counted down the Indians Top 50 Prospects from #50 to #1, with #1 being unveiled this past weekend (I am sure the suspense in regard to who was #1 was killing you).
Anyway, here is a quick recap of the Top 100 listing. Yes, I said Top 100. While the site countdown was the Top 50, my book actually ranked the Top 100 and included an additional 65+ reports....

Here are the box scores from Monday's inter-squad games at Goodyear between Columbus/Akron and Kinston/Lake County. Some quick notes from the box scores:
- RHP Danny Salazar had a good outing, going three shutout innings and throwing 10 first pitch strikes to the 13 batters he faced. He may not get a lot of strikeouts, but he fills up the zone with strikes.
- LHP T.J. House had a...

Here is a current up-to-date listing showing the outlook for Indians Rule 5 Draft eligibles from 2010-2013. This listing does not include any recent International signings since July of 2009 (they will be added at a later date, but all won't be Rule 5 eligible until 2013). This listing will be housed in the "Indians Resource Center" along the right side for quick reference, and the 2010 listing will...

Opportunity Could Come Soon For Wright
Right-handed pitcher Steven Wright is in camp this spring battling for a job in the Triple-A Columbus bullpen to start the season. After a very good year last season pitching in the bullpen full time where he went 10-0 with a 2.48 ERA in 38 total appearances, mostly with Double-A Akron (36), he looks to be locked into one of the seven bullpen spots at...

Today the Indians reduced their spring training roster by three players. Infielder Jason Donald and third baseman/first baseman Wes Hodges were optioned to Triple-A Columbus, and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall was reassigned to minor league camp. Big league camp currently has 46 players.

Here are the box scores for the games on Friday March 19th for Columbus, Akron, Kinston and Lake County. Columbus and Akron were in Goodyear, while Kinston and Lake County played in Maryvale.
RHEMilwaukee4--Columbus4101
Player NamePOSPAABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSOSBCSE1. Rodriguez, JoshSS/2B43110011020012. Castillo, AlexCA2212200000000 Sub Pickens, DougCA22020000000003. Drennen, JohnCF42121000000004....

Infielder Brian Bixler has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus today. He will report to camp in the next few days.
Also, this morning the Indians optioned right-handed pitfchers Jeanmar Gomez and Hector Rondon, catcher Carlos Santana, and outfielder Jordan Brown to Triple-A Columbus. Shortstop Carlos Rivero and outfielder Nick Weglarz have been optioned to Double-A Akron,...

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!